1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to managing and effecting an enterprise-wide technology migration, and more specifically, to an integrated set of tools and processes to manage an enterprise-wide information technology migration.
2. Background Art
Many corporations and other enterprises have very extensive information technology or telecommunications systems or networks. These systems may include personal computers, workstations, servers, printers, monitors, data storage facilities, as well as the many software applications used on these devices and all the wiring, cabling and connectors needed to interconnect the system or network components.
From time to time, it is necessary or desirable to make extensive or fundamental changes in or to these networks or systems. For instance, an enterprise may want to migrate from one basic type of network to another. Examples of such migration include: Token-ring to Ethernet; Windows to LINUX; Dell PCs to IBM PCs; Microsoft Exchange/Outlook to Lotus Notes; and phone system migrations.
These migrations, because of the large number of pieces of equipment involved, the disparate nature of these pieces of equipment, and the complex relationships between the equipment, can be very difficult, complicated and expensive to manage. There does not exist in the prior art a configurable, integrated and end-to-end set of processes and corresponding electronic toolsuite to manage effectively large scale enterprise-wide information technology-related or telecommunications-related migrations.
A number of specific challenges may be faced in the course of a large scale, enterprise-wide migration. For example, when preparing for a large migration of any type, the first step is to see what the status of the existing machine is. Because of the large number of and very diverse nature of those machines, it may be difficult to provide a manageable process and tool to do this.
Another challenge is that, whenever a large migration project is done, there are always targeted users that do not get completed during the planned window. There can be many reasons for this, including users on vacations, or otherwise not available during the migration window. Processes and tools need to be provided that allow a user to collect the desired inventory data outside of the window of time when the other inventory methods are being used.
In addition, during a large migration project, data is collected about each client. Each logical group of clients often has custom requirements. For instance, clients in Canada may not use the RIT connectors or need to mail card and cables. While a new tool could be developed for each of these logical groups of clients, this is a time consuming and cumbersome task. It is much more desirable to provide a single, configurable tool that can be customized for each of these logical groups of users.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, a method, system and computer program are provided for customizing an inventory data collection tool for a plurality of logical groups of users. The method comprises the steps of providing an inventory data collection tool, providing a common control file to customize the tool for each of said logical groups of users, and providing each of the logical groups of users with a copy of the inventory data collection tool and with a first copy of said common control file. Each of the groups of users uses said first copy of the common control file to customize the tool for said each of the groups of users.
In a preferred implementation of this aspect of the invention, a copy of the common control file is stored on a server that copy of the common control file on the server is updated, and each of the logical groups of users is provided with access to the copy of the common control file on the server. In this way, each of the logical groups of users has the option of using either the copy of the common control file on the server, or the first copy of the common control file provided to said each of the logical groups of users with the tool.